A SMALL tsunami has reached the Pacific coast of northern Japan after a strong quake hit the region heavily damaged by the March earthquake and tsunami.
A powerful 7.1-magnitude earthquake struck off the eastern Japan coast at 9:57 a.m. (0057 GMT) local time Sunday, prompting the authorities to issue a tsunami warning for the northeastern coast.
The port town of Ofunato, Iwate prefecture, saw a 10-centimetre tsunami at 11.44am (AEST), the Japan Meteorological Agency said.A powerful 7.1-magnitude earthquake struck off the eastern Japan coast at 9:57 a.m. (0057 GMT) local time Sunday, prompting the authorities to issue a tsunami warning for the northeastern coast.
No damage has been reported from the tsunami and quake.
The quake hit at a depth of 10 kilometers under the seabed and the epicenter is some 200 kilometers from the coast of Miyagi Prefecture, Japan's meteorological agency said.
Television footage of the port in Ofunato did not show any visible sign of the tsunami, with the water surface seemingly calm and flat.
A tsunami warning was issued for Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima prefectures. A small tsunami of up to 50 centimeters was expected along the affected region, the meteorological agency said.
The Japanese agency lifted the tsunami advisory at 11:45 am.
"Changes in sea level may occur for the next few hours. Please use caution when conducting activities near the ocean, such as swimming and surf fishing," a Japanese weather agency official told a news briefing.
Television footage of Ofunato and Soma did not show any visible sign of the tsunami, with the water surface seemingly calm and flat.
Tokyo Electric Power Co (TEPCO) said the latest quake did not cause fresh problems at the crippled Fukushima Daiichi (number one) nuclear plant and the nearby Fukushima Daini (number two) plant.
"We have received reports that there has been no significant impact at the Fukushima Daiichi and the Fukushima Daini nuclear plants," a TEPCO spokesman told a news conference.
Cooling of crippled reactors at Fukushima Daiichi continued, although the company told work crews near the water to seek higher ground during the tsunami advisory.
The Japanese weather agency originally expected a small tsunami of up to 50cm (20 inches) along the affected region.
Communities along the Pacific coast issued warnings and advisories for local residents to seek higher ground or to leave areas near the water.
"For a second, I thought maybe another big one will come," a middle-aged man in coastal Kesennuma, Miyagi, told national broadcaster NHK.
The devastating March 11 and tsunami left about 22,000 people dead or missing and triggered an atomic crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.
The Japanese agency lifted the tsunami advisory at 11:45 am.
"Changes in sea level may occur for the next few hours. Please use caution when conducting activities near the ocean, such as swimming and surf fishing," a Japanese weather agency official told a news briefing.
Television footage of Ofunato and Soma did not show any visible sign of the tsunami, with the water surface seemingly calm and flat.
Tokyo Electric Power Co (TEPCO) said the latest quake did not cause fresh problems at the crippled Fukushima Daiichi (number one) nuclear plant and the nearby Fukushima Daini (number two) plant.
"We have received reports that there has been no significant impact at the Fukushima Daiichi and the Fukushima Daini nuclear plants," a TEPCO spokesman told a news conference.
Cooling of crippled reactors at Fukushima Daiichi continued, although the company told work crews near the water to seek higher ground during the tsunami advisory.
The Japanese weather agency originally expected a small tsunami of up to 50cm (20 inches) along the affected region.
Communities along the Pacific coast issued warnings and advisories for local residents to seek higher ground or to leave areas near the water.
"For a second, I thought maybe another big one will come," a middle-aged man in coastal Kesennuma, Miyagi, told national broadcaster NHK.
The devastating March 11 and tsunami left about 22,000 people dead or missing and triggered an atomic crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.
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